King County weekend DUI arrests by the numbers

By CASEY MCNERTHNEY, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Published 9:33 pm, Monday, November 26, 2012

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The 71-year-old driver of this Mercury SUV was arrested for investigation of vehicular assault after her hit a man and woman Thursday night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The collision happened at 17432 S.E. 270th Pl. in Covington and deputies were investigating to see if the driver was driving under the influence. (KCSO)

The 71-year-old driver of this Mercury SUV was arrested for investigation of vehicular assault after her hit a man and woman Thursday night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The collision happened at 17432 S.E. 270th

The 71-year-old driver of this Mercury SUV was arrested for investigation of vehicular assault after her hit a man and woman Thursday night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The collision happened at 17432 S.E. 270th Pl. in Covington and deputies were investigating to see if the driver was driving under the influence. (KCSO)

The 71-year-old driver of this Mercury SUV was arrested for investigation of vehicular assault after her hit a man and woman Thursday night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The collision happened at 17432 S.E. 270th

Seattle Police officer Eric Michl of the department's DUI squad gives a field test to Rodney James, who was drunk on Dec. 12, 2009, when he plowed into a Beacon Hill family returning from vacation.

Seattle Police officer Eric Michl of the department's DUI squad gives a field test to Rodney James, who was drunk on Dec. 12, 2009, when he plowed into a Beacon Hill family returning from vacation.

Photo: Casey McNerthney/seattlepi.com

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Seattle Police officer Eric Michl of the department's DUI squad gives a field test to Rodney James, who was drunk on Dec. 12, 2009, when he plowed into a Beacon Hill family returning from vacation.

Seattle Police officer Eric Michl of the department's DUI squad gives a field test to Rodney James, who was drunk on Dec. 12, 2009, when he plowed into a Beacon Hill family returning from vacation.

Photo: Casey McNerthney, Seattlepi.com

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Stephen Lacey's smashed BMW after the collision that killed him July 24, 2011.

Stephen Lacey's smashed BMW after the collision that killed him July 24, 2011.

Photo: Washington State Patrol/KOMO

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King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, shown here with former Sheriff Sue Rahr, made several attempts to get vehicular homicide sentences toughened. They now are after state legislators passed House Bill 2216, which increased the standard prison sentence for the crime of vehicular homicide by DUI.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, shown here with former Sheriff Sue Rahr, made several attempts to get vehicular homicide sentences toughened. They now are after state legislators passed House Bill 2216,

Between Wednesday at 8 p.m. and the end of Sunday, the State Patrol busted 52 suspected drunken drivers in King County. More importantly, Trooper Julie Judson said, they contributed to a major holiday weekend without any major DUI wrecks on state roads.

"We did pretty good this weekend," Judson said. "We're definitely focused on keeping fatality collisions and serious-injury collisions to zero if possible."

That incident isn't counted on the State Patrol's tally of serious or fatal DUI collisions because they're responsible only for state routes, and the Sheriff's Office handled the Covington case.

Troopers say there were also an unusually high number of drunken drivers caught in Pierce and Thurston counties this weekend. From Wednesday night to just after 1 p.m. Sunday, troopers there arrested 81 people for DUI.

Judson said in King County the additional patrols, which will continue through the holiday season, will be at places where previous DUI statistics showed there was the highest likelihood for drunken drivers. Routes out of downtown Seattle are hot spots, as is state Route 167 through Auburn.

Earlier this year, the state Senate joined the House in passing House Bill 2216, which increases the standard prison sentence for the crime of vehicular homicide by DUI. The bill increased the prison range for a first-time offender to six to eight years in prison, the same sentence an individual faces for committing first-degree manslaughter. Previously the prison range was two to three years.

More support for the bill came after the death of Stephen Lacey, a Google engineer who was killed by a drunken driver last summer on his way to the Kirkland Costco. His killer, Patrick Rexroat, who pounded his chest at the crash scene, could be out in less than three years with credit for good behavior.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg had made several attempts to get the vehicular homicide sentences toughened and spoke out after Lacey's death, saying current laws are too soft on drunks who kill on the road.

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist also was a strong supporter of House Bill 2216."One of the hardest things any prosecutor has to do," Satterberg said in 2011, "is sit down with a family like I did with Steve Lacey's family last month ... and say, 'Oh by the way, the offender – he'll be out in two years.'"

Authorities also warn about the high costs of DUI. Installation of an ignition interlock device costs roughly $1,200.

Police say drunks often travel slower than the posted speed limit, weave from side to side in lanes and follow too closely. They encourage people who suspect a drunken driver to call 9-1-1.

Police agencies providing additional DUI patrols during the holidays include Seattle, SeaTac, North Bend, the State Patrol, Tukwila, North Bend and Burien.